Skoda Octavia

عبد القادر أحمد

Jan 8

This was my first car. I've had it for over 10 years and driven around 720,000 km with it. I used it daily for work — about 50 km round trip. Under ideal conditions, fuel consumption could go as low as 4.2 L/100 km, with an average of around 5.8, which is excellent. Even though it has a 1.4 turbo engine and a dual-clutch transmission, acceleration at low speeds has a slight delay, especially between second and third gear. In traffic, I’d switch to S mode and it would respond better. Overall, the car didn’t give me major problems. There was a slight coolant leak from the beginning, and when it hit 100,000 km they found an issue with the radiator, which I replaced. The gearbox makes some noise if you keep switching between gears frequently in a short time, but it goes back to normal once the car cools down. Interior space was great for its time — comfortably fits five people. The rear trunk is spacious since it's a hatchback. The seats aren’t the most comfortable though, especially the driver's seat. The stock infotainment screen eventually failed, so I bought a new one and installed it myself. The car holds its value well in the market, even years later — German engineering speaks for itself.